An early-morning crime spree made for a rude awakening for one Albuquerque neighborhood.

Police said they actually caught the criminals in the act -- but not before the car burglars left a trail of expensive damage.

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Albuquerque police said they had to wake up several people in a northwest neighborhood and give them the bad news as police discovered car after car with windows smashed and doors left open. Police said dozens of cars were broken into and items stolen.

"It wasn't obvious at first that our cars had been broken into, but upon further inspection we saw that some things were missing and glove boxes were open," said Gab Torres.

"They stole my money and all my CDs," said Raquel Ware, another victim.

Police said just after 4 a.m. Wednesday they got a call about individuals in a white car driving around the area, burglarizing vehicles.

Police said when they found that car, they also found a group of suspects and were able to catch some of them as they were rummaging through a truck. The owner of the truck said his CD player and his spark plug wires were stolen.

Detectives said five men were arrested in connection with the incident. Another suspect fled, police said. Police are still looking for that person.

The men are facing multiple charges, including auto burglary, receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle and tampering with evidence.